With the leaves changing colors and a chill entering the air, I have lately found myself in a Halloween kind of mood. Being that this is the appropriate time of year for all things scary, I decided to treat myself to a spine-chilling feature film.
In recent years, Asian horror films have become popular in the U.S., as demonstrated by the success of the American remake of the Japanese horror flick “Ringu.” I had yet to jump on the Asian import bandwagon, so I checked out the Korean movie “The Tale of Two Sisters” from our very own Hege Library.
The film, made in 2003 and directed by Ji-Woon Kim, follows the story of two sisters, Soo-mi and Soo-yeon, who have recently returned to the home of their father and stepmother after spending time in a mental institution. The stepmother treats the sisters cruelly while the father remains reticent and does little to intervene. The house itself is dark and creepy and a ghost seems to be lurking within its walls.
The cinematography and soundtrack of Sisters are the film’s strong points. The shots are both beautiful and eerie, fitting the mood of the story perfectly. The lighting and sets are gloomy and dark, which adds to the brooding ambience of the film.
The acting in the film is also superb. Each actor delivers a noteworthy performance that further carries the complex and confusing plot. Actress Yeom Jeong-A, who plays the stepmother, stands out in particular as she performs the role with the intensity that it needs.
Judging from the cover of the movie, which depicts a family portrait of the two sisters smothered in blood, I expected a gruesome tale that would shock and sicken me. Instead, the film proved to be much more psychologically horrific. While there are a few creepy scenes that involve blood and a ghoulish-woman, rarely did I feel frightened.
Instead, I felt utterly confused. The film starts with one storyline, but as the movie progresses, the story slowly turns completely upside down. The audience suddenly realizes that the characters are not who they seem to be.
In fact, the audience does not fully understand the plot until its final moments. The story is told backwards, so the last scene is actually the beginning of the story timeline. While this plot method maintains suspense, it definitely bewilders the audience, which works against the film’s effectiveness.
Once the credits started rolling, I had a vague, unconstrued understanding of what I had just spent the past two hours watching.
Feeling lost and unsettled, I knew where to turn for reassurance: the Internet. On the Web, I was able to find several essays and reviews on Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) that explained and interpreted the many twists and turns of the movie. One reviewer had claimed to have viewed the film more than 15 times and has written a 6-page explanation of the plot.
After reading this, I understood the gaps that I had missed in the story. This newfound comprehension enabled me to fully recognize what a rich, layered and well-crafted a film “A Tale of Two Sisters” truly is. This movie definitely requires multiple viewings, and I myself plan to re-watch it in order to pick up on clues and signs that I had missed in the first screening.
So if you are seeking a casual, run-of-the-mill horror flick that provides predictable scares, than this film is not for you. If, however, you desire a psychological thriller that will make you think, then look no further. While it may trick you, it will certainly be a treat.